Speed Skaters and Wind Resistance

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Marilyn

At the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, some U.S. speed skaters questioned the design of their new suits. They said that an air vent pocket was creating enough drag to noticeably increase their times. Do you think that at the relatively low speeds and short distances speed skaters travel, these new suits could impact their time enough to make a significant difference? I can understand how in NASCAR events, where vehicles travel 200 mph for extended periods, even a small amount of resistance can make an impact, but can that be the case for speed skaters?

Marilyn responds:

It depends on how close the finishing times are to each other (rather than the duration of the race overall). The closer the times, the more it may matter, and with results timed in tenths and hundredths of a second, I do think it’s possible, at least partly because the skaters felt they were noticing something. They’re tuned in to everything that could possibly affect their performance, and I believe that athletes of Olympic caliber are likely to be correct in what they sense.